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Oblivion (2013)

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Just weeks before After Earth hit theaters and began drawing connections to Scientology, the church's poster-boy Tom Cruise’s Oblivion was released and also raised the eyebrows of a few commentators. Some noted that alien conflicts with Earth, mind-wiping, and the lack of identity are all common themes in the Church of Scientology, especially when you go back to L. Ron Hubbard’s distrust of the psychology field, which he felt was a means of mind control under the guise of helping people.

It's easy to see how some people could draw a parallel between the movie and Scientology, but on the other hand, aren’t just these conventional sci-fi beats too? The problem is that Hubbard was a science-fiction writer before he became the head of a religion, so much of his philosophy has its roots in the genre. Plus, the movie stars Tom Cruise, and people will try to find a Scientology connection with anything he does.

The evidence is clearly there for both sides, and we’re not going to say one way or another whether this was all intentional or happenstance. But we’re sure the debate will continue.